1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel method of transporting a prefabricated building module from a plant to a building site, and an apparatus for mounting a roof of the module to permit movement of the roof between a horizontal position during transport and a raised position at the building site.
2. Description of Related Art
The construction of modular building structures, which are fabricated at a housing plant, is limited by applicable laws and regulations. The United States housing industry, which includes HUD-code homes and modular housing, is controlled by laws that limit the dimensions of products that can be shipped over the interstate highways. These limitations include width restrictions to insure vehicular safety, height restrictions to clear overhead obstructions, and length restrictions of the modular unit and transporter.
Typically manufactured HUD homes and modular homes include three dimensional xe2x80x9cboxes or modulesxe2x80x9d that are shipped over the road, and thus are confronted with the continuing problem of the regulatory shipping limitations. Accordingly, the most economical roof designs have generally been limited to low and medium pitched roofs. Also, the height limitations impose constraints on the design of the building structures, and the building structures have taken on the connotations associated with the homes produced by the earlier mobile home industry. Various solutions have been proposed, such as entirely independent roof sections and saddle roofs that hang over the side of the module. However, shipping independent roof sections substantially increases the construction and transportation costs, and saddle roof designs consume a portion of the over-the-road regulatory width, thereby reducing the allocable width of the module living space. Both of these methods have limitations and increase the cost of equivalent floor area in the building structures.
Furthermore, the applicable laws have created several limitations within the modular housing industry such as:
1. The dimensional geometry of the shipped product is restricted to widths of 12 feet, 14 feet, and 16 feet (under controlled conditions); heights of 14 feet, which includes either the transporter or wheel and rail assemblies; and lengths of 80 feet.
2. The traffic flow patterns within the housing plans are restricted, which causes stairways to the second floor of 12 foot and 14 foot wide modules to be L-shaped with landings and returns. This is necessary to fit the stair within the restricted module widths, which must ultimately terminate near the center of the second floor traffic pattern.
3. The lengths of the modules are required to be extended, in the only dimension available, in order to overcome the limitations of the width of the module. This is necessary to encapsulate more floor area. Also, as the lengths of the modules have been extended upward in excess of 70 feet, the modules have been exposed to increased flexure during shipping and handling, resulting in increased damage to both the structure and interior finishes of the module.
4. The extended module lengths have created awkward planning constraints that require the main front entrances of the homes to be located near the center of the modules in order to minimize the length of hallways and to improve efficient access to rooms at the ends of the modules.
5. The extended module lengths have necessitated that the slope direction of the major roof be 90 degrees with respect to the length of the module in order to remain below the shipping height limitations. By employing multiple roof panels, which are folded during shipping and unfolded and tilted up during the erection process, the housing industry has successfully created techniques that achieve up to 12/12 roof pitches. However, this requires the production of additional multiple panels and substantially increases costs. Furthermore, this process exposes the module to potential weather damage during the erection procedure.
6. The total width of one and two story homes is limited to two modules having a combined width of approximately 28 feet. This is necessary in order to avoid the creation of saw-tooth roof configurations, which are created by joining more than two modules. Saw-tooth roof configurations are inconsistent with the aesthetics of traditional home designs. Furthermore, limiting the house width to two module widths, avoids the complicated water drainage problems created by the long valleys of saw-tooth roofs. Some patio homes have been produced in contemporary plans by sliding and offsetting the modules in a direction parallel to their longitudinal dimension, thereby reducing the problems associated with the saw-tooth roofs. However, this has been accomplished by increasing the exterior wall area, which inherently increases the heating and cooling costs.
The above-discussed limitations have affected not only the housing product itself, but have also imposed restrictions on the siting of the homes on the lots. The positioning of the front entrances near the center of the modules, as previously explained, has in most designs, required that the lengthened modules be sited parallel to the front lot line. This is necessary to avoid the alternative positioning at 90 degrees to the front lot line, which would place the front entrance adjacent to the side lot line and thereby provide inadequate visibility from the street. Further, the lengthened modules require wider lots, which inherently increases the infrastructure cost of the lots. Also, the present lengthened modules are not compatible with the concept of clustered housing on smaller lots, which is being promoted today in order to reduce housing costs. The clustered housing concept requires housing products that can more effectively utilize the depth of the lots without placing the front entrances adjacent to the side lot lines.
The HUD-code home and modular housing industries of today have evolved from a combination of the mobile home industry of the 1950""s and on-site construction. Planning, with the assistance of computers, has enabled module producers to offer a range of customization within the above-described constraints. Although the production of the modular homes occurs in the controlled environment of a plant, the homes are still constructed with conventional materials, in much the same way as in the mobile home industry of the 1950""s and the frame construction of site-built homes.
The evolution of the modular production process has occurred without recognizing and utilizing the accomplishments and techniques of the automotive industry. A new approach could find new techniques, solve the problems created by the limitations discussed above, and enhance all aspects of the housing products while reducing costs.
By recognizing and utilizing advances in the automotive industry, the scale of the planning component in the housing industry can be increased from the historic 2xc3x974 wood stud to a functional module. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a completely new approach to the structure for roofing modules that will overcome most of the previously discussed limitations.
In order to meet future needs, the present invention provides an industrialized housing system, a system of standardized spatial modules of varying functional and utilitarian use, and modules that can be selected and composed by the consumer so as to create unlimited house designs. This will meet the consumer""s spatial, cost, and aesthetic needs. Also, coupling option and finish packages for selection by the consumer, will add to the customization.
The present invention is effective to increase the scale of the manufactured component to that of functional modules that can be arranged in the field to permit unlimited single and multi-family housing designs and provide the consumer with unlimited house planning capabilities and greatly reduced housing costs.
More particularly, the present invention provides a novel roof coupling and guiding mechanism that employs a roller assembly or a sliding assembly, and is constructed so that it can be temporarily or permanently installed. The roof coupling and guiding mechanism permits the roof panels of three dimensional housing or commercial space modules to be shipped in a horizontal or flat position and parallel to the longitudinal dimension of the module. The coupling mechanism also permits the roof panels to be raised at the construction site to their final designed slope. The roof panels may be constructed of light gauge steel, wood framing, or structural insulated panels.
Further, the coupling mechanism of the present invention is effective to stabilize, anchor, and safely hold the temporarily stored flat roof panels on top of the modules during shipping.
Further, the coupling device is operable to guide, stabilize, and control the direction of movement of the roof panels during a crane lifting process at the construction site. In particular, the coupling device permits the roof panels to roll or slide toward a final designed ridge position above the three dimensional module so as to allow roof slopes of any desired pitch. With the coupling device, the crane can lift the roof panels, at their hinged juncture, to the final designed slope either before or after the three dimensional module is placed in its final position in the building structure.
The coupling device allows the roof panel to extend into the space provided by the more liberal shipping length dimension. The coupling device can be used to permit the creation of gable roofs, mansard roofs, hip roofs, and shed roofs in their final position atop the module.
A preferred embodiment of the coupling device has an anchor portion that telescopes vertically to allow the sandwiching of gable end wall panels, hip roof panels, and ancillary small gable and dormer panels so that these panels can be temporarily stored in a position beneath the major roof panels. The stored panels are hinged to the major roof panels to permit them to slide across the attic floor into their final position as the major roof panels are raised. The coupling device telescopes into itself as the major roof is raised into its final position on the three dimensional module.
Further, the device enables the ridge of a roof to be located at 90 degrees relative to the longitudinal dimension of the modules, thereby allowing a ridge at any position above the module and the possibility of varying the pitch on each side of the ridge.
The present invention provides modules that can be produced so as to remain within the restricted shipping widths and heights. The invention allows the utilization of the allowable shipping length to ship flat roof panels installed atop the three dimensional modules parallel to the longitudinal dimension of the modules. This permits the installation of the major roof panels that slope in a direction that is 90 degrees relative to the industry standard.
The present invention, which permits installation of the major roof panels at 90 degrees relative to the industry standard, also permits house plans composed by assembling a series of modules at 90 degrees to the industry standard. This permits straight run stairways to be installed parallel the longitudinal dimension of the modules, with a more than adequate length dimension, and termination of the stairways near the center of the second floor traffic pattern.
The present invention also permits the assembly of a series of modules with parallel major roof slopes joined at their marriage walls thereby encapsulating large floor areas with reduced module lengths of approximately 50% of the industry standard. The shortened longitudinal dimensions of the modules provide more structural rigidity and less exposure to flexure during shipping, thereby reducing interior finish damage.
In the present invention, the major roof panels are installed at 90 degrees relative to the industry standard, housing plans can be assembled with a series of modules at 90 degrees relative to the industry standard. This permits recessed front entrances to be provided in the transverse dimension (the width) of any module from the front of the house. Further this orientation of the modules permits the inclusion of sundecks, front porches with roofs, solariums, bay windows, extended breakfast nooks from kitchens, and other architectural features to enhance the aesthetics of the home. This is accomplished in the transverse wall on either end of the module without protruding into the limiting transportation widths controlling the modular industry. With the dimensional depth of the house being able to increase beyond the normal maximum industry standard of 28 feet, it is possible to shorten hallways and place the rooms in closer proximity to the central circulation pattern.
As described above, the present invention permits the creation of roofs of any pitch by shipping in a flat position and rolling them up into their designed configuration upon arrival at the construction site. This can be accomplished with a minimum number of major roof panels and with minimal weather exposure during the erection process.
In accordance with the present invention, since the major roof panels are installed at 90 degrees relative to the industry standard, the housing plans can be composed by assembling a series of modules at 90 degrees relative to the industry standard. This permits the house plan to be composed of a number of modules of varying widths, connected about their marriage walls, with the roof slopes being parallel. Accordingly, a saw-tooth configuration is avoided.
The present invention allows the longitudinal dimensions of the modules to be installed parallel to the side lot lines, placing the transverse dimension with the front entrance parallel and facing the front lot line. The longitudinal dimension better utilizes the depth of the lot and allows the narrow width of the house to be placed on smaller and narrow clustered housing designed lots.
The present invention permits true industrialization and production of a system of standardized spatial modules of varying functional and utilitarian use. This is accomplished by overcoming and eliminating the roof constraints and limitations of the industry today. The present invention achieves this object by allowing the composition and assembly of varying module width with parallel roof planes to create an unlimited selection of functional and utilitarian use modules so that consumers can design their own home.